South Africa – The Facts
- Full name: Republic of South Africa
- Population: 48.6 million (UN, 2007)
- Capital: Pretoria (name may change to Tshwane). Cape Town is legislative capital
- Largest city: Johannesburg
- Area: 1.22 million sq km (470,693 sq miles)
- Major languages: 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa and Zulu
- Major religion: Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs
- Life expectancy: 49 years (men), 50 years (women)
- Monetary unit: 1 Rand = 100 cents
- Main exports: Gold, diamonds, metals and minerals, cars, machinery
- GNI per capita: US $4,960 (World Bank, 2006)
- Internet domain: .za
- International dialling code: +27
- President: Thabo Mbeki
- The press
- The Star - Johannesburg-based daily, city's oldest newspaper
- The Sowetan Johannesburg-based tabloid
- Daily Sun - mass-circulation tabloid
- Beeld - largest Afrikaans daily
- Mail & Guardian - weekly, operates Mail & Guardian online
- Business Day - daily Financial Mail - business weekly
Sunday Times/The Times - South Africa's oldest Sunday newspaper; publishes subscription-only daily
- Television
- SABC - state broadcaster, operates three national TV networks, two pay-TV channels
- e.tv - free-to-air commercial network
- M-Net - pay-TV, pan-African audience
- Radio
- SABC - state broadcaster with 20 regional and national services in 11 languages, including: national English-language network SAfm; contemporary music station 5 FM; national Afrikaans station Radio Sonder Grense; national Zulu station Ukhozi FM;
- Sesotho station Lesedi FM
- Channel Africa - SABC's external radio service, targeted at the African continent
- YFM - popular Johannesburg commercial R&B, soul and hip-hop station
- 702 Talk Radio - Johannesburg commercial news and talk station
- Links
